CyberAlert -- September 16, 1996 -- NAACP vs. Christian Coalition

Only one item today:

Bill Clinton snubbed the
Christian Coaltion conference over the weekend, but the media reacted a
bit differently than when Bob Dole decided to not address the NAACP.

Friday night none of the network
evening news shows mentioned Clinton's decision not to appear, though all
did pieces on the conference. The issue came up only on CNN's Inside
Politics. In July, all the networks aired stories about Dole not going to
the NAACP convention. (Dole made a surprise appearance at the Christian
Coalition meeting on Saturday and offered an introduction to Jack Kemp who
had been scheduled.)

Neither ABC or CBS had an evening
newscast Saturday night on Washington stations because of college
football, but NBC did not get bumped for sports, so let's compare NBC's
coverage.

On the July 10 NBC Nightly News,
Jim Miklaszewski reported from the NAACP gathering:

"No doubt this was a Clinton
crowd. That comes as no surprise to Bob Dole. Dole had been invited to
speak at the convention yesterday, but declined. He claimed he was already
committed to campaigning and the All-Star baseball game. To those at this
convention that was quite a stretch and an insult to African-American
voters."

After explaining how the crowd
was very anti-Republican, Miklaszewski concluded his story: "By not
showing up here, Bob Dole may reinforce those racial divides along party
lines and fuel the anxiety among some Republicans that in this
presidential campaign, Bob Dole may not be up to the challenge."

"Dole decided only this
morning to speak to the Christian Coalition despite worries inside his
campaign that a bow to the religious right might send the wrong message to
moderate, swing voters."

Bloom concluded his story:

"Clinton's campaign spokeman
said in a statement 'watching Bob Dole arm in arm with Pat Robertson
speaks volumes to the extreme agenda being pursued by the
Dole-Kemp-Gingrich team.' Bob Dole tried, perhaps even succeeded today, in
re-invigorating his Republican base. But a top Clinton campaign official
was all smiles, saying, 'if you see Dole, tell him thanks for me.'"

Anchor Brian Williams then
announced: "The Christian Coaltion claims almost two million active
members and is a potent political force in 31 states, but its voice is no
longer the lone voice for conservative Christians. NBC's Bob Abernethy has
our report."

Abernethy then began his bizarre
story on "conservative" Christians:

"The Christian Coalition's
organization, money and grassroots activism have made it one of the most
important voices in the country for conservative values, especially
opposition to abortion. The coalition's success has troubled other
Christians who agree with many of its objectives, but are uncomfortable
with its partisianship, and with what seems to many critics its
divisiveness and its neglect of the poor. One group of coalition critics
is the Call to Renewal. It heard today from children's advocate Marian
Wright Edelman."

Abernethy went on to look at Jim
Wallis of Sojourners, a left-wing crusade. He never got to any
"conservative Christians."

Let me summarize the differences
in approach to one major candidate failing to appear at one of the
conventions:

Dole's snub is big news.
Clinton's is not.

Dole's decision was "an
insult to all African American voters." Clinton's was not an
insult to all Christian-American voters.

Dole's address to the
Christian Coalition "might send the wrong message to moderate,
swing voters." Clinton's appearance before the left-wing NAACP
did not.

Dole's speech prompted NBC to
air a bizarre story citing only liberals about how the Christian
Coalition does not represent all conservative Christians, many of whom
are "troubled" by its policy views. Clinton's NAACP address
did not prompt NBC to do a story on how the NAACP does not represent
all liberal African-Americans or even all African-Americans, nor any
consideration of how the NAACP's policies "trouble" anyone.

Tom Brokaw insisted at a June
National Press Club appearnace: "We've worked very hard to drain the
bias out of what we do." Hard to tell. --
Brent Baker

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